Targetware: 3D Dev Guide
Chapter 1: The Basics
Modeling for the Targetware Engine: An Introduction
Each object you see in a Targetware game is constructed of three very different elements:
- The various 3D files that make up the shape of your object (the 'mesh'). These are the files exported (saved) by your 3D modeling program. These will be files with names similar to:
"fuselage_center.lwo", "wing_left_outer.3ds", "gear_tail.3ds", etc.
- An .anm file, a text file resides in the same folder as your model, and tells the engine how to assemble the 3D parts of your model. It controls where parts are placed in relation to each other, at what angle, and how they should animate (if at all).
- An .acm text file, which tells the game how your objects moves and interacts with the world. For a plane, this file contains the Flight Model. Actually, an .acm for a plane usually makes reference to other .acm files to get information about guns, ammunition, bombs, drop tanks, etc. For a ground object, the .acm file will contain information about armor, weight, size, speed, etc.
As a 3D modeler, you will put most of your work into creating the 3D mesh for your object, but you also need to know a little bit about the .anm and .acm files in order to get your object working in the game. Everything you need to know will be explained in further on, so don't be discouraged if it seems complicated. Once you understand how it works, it will become second-nature.
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